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Appendix G

Sample Letters of
Recommendation
A. For an excellent student whom you know well
January 17, 2007
It is a true pleasure for me to write this letter of recommendation
for Sandra Garcia, who was my student in Sociology 115, Intro-
duction to Sociology, in the winter term of 2006. Sandra is, with-
out question, one of the four or five most outstanding students I
have taught at Big State University in six semesters of teaching.
Sandra is a careful and creative thinker with an eye for details and a
devotion to logic, which serves her well both in the sciences and
outside them. She has the terrific ability to draw on her own experi-
ence and observations to develop thoughtful opinions on a variety
of issues. Sandra already knew she wanted to major in biology
when she took my course, but this did not diminish her intellectual
curiosity about the topics we covered in introductory sociology.
Her regular contributions to full-class discussions provided insight
both for her peers and for me as an instructor.
Sandra was also invaluable in small-group interaction with her
peers. Without my asking, she took on the responsibility of helping
her classmates consolidate vast amounts of information into coher-
ent sets of ideas, and she quickly became a study group leader. In
addition, Sandra was very generous with her time and energies. I
remember her meeting individually with a student from Thailand
several times before the final exam to help him master all the mater-
ial in a foreign tongue.
Sandra breaks the scientist stereotype with her writing: she was
the best writer in the two sections I taught that semester. And what
was perhaps even more impressive was that she took the task of
improving her writing as or more seriously than any other student
in the class. One of her essays was later published in the annual
magazine of the best undergraduate essays written in sociology.
197
Sandra is not only an excellent student, but she is also personally
delightful. She is as comfortable with herself as she is engaging,
pleasant, and humorous. As I got to know Sandra over the semes-
ter, I became only more impressed by the wide range of her abili-
tiesand by her modesty about them. She is an accomplished musi-
cian and scientist, both of which she does with a passion rare in
undergraduates.
I wholeheartedly recommend Sandra as a prospective medical
school student. In fact, I can think of few students whom I would
recommend as highly. She will add a great deal to any incoming
medical school class. I can also envision Sandra as a highly compe-
tent and caring doctor someday, which I say as a high compliment
indeed. Please contact me if there is anything else I can do on her
behalf.
Sincerely,
Peter Severs, M.A.
Graduate Student Instructor
B. For a good student whom you do not know well
5 January 2007
I am pleased to recommend Natasha Kincaid for admission to the
Teacher Education Program. Natasha was my student in Biology
210 (Cell Biology), and she proved to be a model student. She is
extremely conscientious about her work and about attending class
and lab. Because of her hard work, she consistently scored in the
top ten percent on all the exams and problem sets. Her work
demonstrates an attention to detail and an ability to integrate mate-
rial to create larger frameworks for discussion.
Natasha made intelligent and insightful contributions during full-
class discussion, but it was in lab that her enthusiasm and teaching
abilities shone. After the first week, she became the leader of her lab
group, and I would often see her patiently explaining a procedure
or a concept to her lab mates (and often those in the neighboring
lab group as well!). She took the initiative to organize and lead class
reviews before the exams, and other students told me afterwards
how helpful these sessions were.
198 First Day to Final Grade
I believe that Natashas strong academic abilities and her clear dedi-
cation to teaching make her a very strong candidate for the Teacher
Education Program. If there are any questions I can answer, please
feel free to contact me.
Mrinal Mukherjee
Graduate Student Instructor
C. For an average student
30 June 2007
I am pleased to write a letter of recommendation for George Gump
as part of his application to dentistry school. As Georges instructor
for Math 235 (Set Theory), I found him to be a conscientious and
hardworking student. The course was not required for Georges
major; he took it out of intellectual interest, and he approached the
material with the same curiosity and determination that he applies
in biology and medicine.
Georges work on the problem sets and exams demonstrated careful
attention to detail. He was also able and willing to articulate his
questions about the more abstract notions of set theory, a genuine
asset for many of his classmates and the class dynamic as a whole.
George is an extremely personable young man who seems equally
comfortable with his peers and with faculty. He has talked with me
about his goal of becoming a dentist, and I have enjoyed seeing
such enthusiasm in an undergraduate about a professional career.
Georges commitment to the field and his hard work in pursuing his
goals will serve him well in dentistry school.
Please contact me if I can answer any further questions.
Sincerely,
Kelly Atkins, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Sample Letters of Recommendation 199

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